Every year Eastern Washington Adventures has a Thanksgiving 4×4 run on the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the Club members. A long with the 4×4 run, some come over to the EWA Club House for the get togethers. Some camp the weekend.

This year members started showing up Friday Afternoon to camp the weekend at Eastern Washington Adventures and some stayed at the North Park Lodge in Selah. There was a get together Friday Night in the EWA Club House.

Saturday November 30th, 2013, the people staying in Selah convoyed to Cowiche. They stopped at Highland Quick Stop for fuel and food. Then off to the end of pavement of Cowiche Mill Road to meet the others.

After airing down they headed up Cowiche Mill Road. The group work there way through Washington State Department of Natural Resources’ “Ahtanum State Forest” and up to “Jumpoff Fire Lookout” in the Naches Ranger District over looking Rimrock. There wasn’t much snow but it was very cold.

Next the group headed back down and then up Cowiche Ridge. They ran Cowiche Ridge up and onto the Strobach Mountain 4×4 Trail. The group stopped at Strobach Mountain Vista for the view of Rimrock but only could see glimpses off the ridge because of the clouds.

Since the days are short around Thanksgiving in the Northwest, the group headed for home around 4 PM from Strobach Mountain. They headed back down Strobach Mountain 4×4 Trail cutting a down tree off the trail along the way. They dropped down and out Nasty Creek airing up at the Nasty Creek Corrals near Tampico.

After airing up most of the group convoyed to the EWA Club House with a few stopping off for potluck supplies at the Selah Red Apple Market. At the EWA Club House the group had a potluck dinner. After dinner some headed for home or back to there motel.

Sunday morning there was a potluck breakfast in the EWA Club House before the rest headed for home.

This was a great time thanks to all who came for some part of the Thanksgiving weekend.

Here are a few pictures of the Eastern Washington Adventures Thanksgiving Weekend:

On Saturday January 9th, 2010 we up to FS1302 to see if we could make it to Jumpoff Lookout.
Waycrazy was the trail boss on this run. I rode as his co-pilot.

Here are some pictures of the day.

Insanity Fab crew.

Waycrazy’s shock mount broke.

Some of the guys on the run.

PUO

A fun open hill side.

Waycrazy lost a motor mount, a tranny mount and the fan ate the radiator when he raced Superglock up the hill.
With help from Punisher and a few others, Waycrazy was able to drive the rig again.
The Insanity Fab crew escorted Waycrazy back home and the rest of the group headed on up with Colemancooler taking the trail boss position.
I hitched a ride with Nevada in he Toyota.

Mount Rainier from FS1302.

We made our way though an off camber are and regrouped at Jumpoff Lookout.

Mount Rainier and clouds over the Rimrock lake area from Jumpoff Lookout.

Divide Ridge.

Looking back at the ridge we made our way up.

Bethel Ridge across the way.

My ride back down.

Superglock got stuck and Colemancooler pulled him out.

The off camber area.

The Shindig Wheelers making sure we made it though the off camber area.

We left the Sno-park around 11 am and headed up the Mid Fork road (A-2000) and onto the Whites Ridge Loop Trail (A-2600). Next we turned up the Whites Ridge 4×4 Trail. We turned toward the North Fork Road on the McLaine Canyon Road (A-3300). On up the North Fork Road (A-3000). We turn off onto the Blue Lake Trail.

We stopped for a break at Blue Lake and then head up 4W615 to Blue Slide Lookout. We stopped for a view overlooking Blue Lake, then on up tp Blue Slide Lookout on FS1020.

After a break, we headed on back down 4W615, the Blue Lake Trail and then turned up the North Fork Road toward Darland Mountain.

We crossed Darland Mountain and headed down the Ahtanum Mid Fork (A-2000) and a few of us stopped at Eagle Nest. The rest of the group headed back to Sno-park to pack up camp.

99’s Getting Out of the Heat Run at Ahtanum State ForestHosted by Eastern Washington Off RoadReport by Clay Graham. Photos by Clay Graham / Eastern Washington Off Road

On June 29th, 2008 it was very hot in the Yakima Valley so my wife, AKA 99 wanted to drive up to the Ahtanum State Forest hoping it would be cooler.

We took the South Fork Ahtanum Road (A1000) and then ran Boulder Trail up to the stop of Sedge Ridge. We stopped on the Sedge Ridge Road so people could air down more.

Test Dummy rig started having fuel pump problems so he headed back down. The rest of us turned down A2420 and then on A2400 to the Ahtanum Sno-park.

Next we went up the Mid Fork Ahtanum Road (A2000) and onto the Whites Ridge Loop Trail (A2600). We took the Whites Ridge 4×4 Trail up and then turned down the McLaine Canyon Road (A3300), then went up the North Fork Ahtanum Road (A3000).

On the way up the North Fork Ahtanum Road, I took some photos of the snow on Darland Mountain.

Next we ran the Blue Lake Trail onto 4W615 and stopped at Blue Lake for the kids to get out to play. The bugs were bad so we headed on up 4W615 to the Blue Slide Lookout. My kids had fun playing up there.

After a short break we headed on down FS1020. We stopped for some quick photos of Rimrock Lake from Foundation Ridge.

Here we ran into a big snow drift. I got stuck because of the Swabbie tires on the family XJ. Tiny also got stuck. Roll Over came to the rescue and pulled us out with his MJ.

On down FS1020, we stopped to regroup at 4W613. That is were the road changes numbers from FS1029 to A2300 aka Jackass Road.

Next we turned of Jackass Road onto A5000. As we were heading down toward the Nasty Creek Corrals, the weather turned. There was a lot of lightening. We saw lightening hit and start a fire. I think it was on the ridge Southwest of Sedge Ridge. We moved on down to a cattle closed gate. There must of been cows grazing in the area.

We stopped to see why there were beers a long the trail. It was a marker for Papa Bud. Does anyone know the Papa Bud’s story? Maybe the marker was his hunting spot?

We finely got out on the phone to call about the fire. Sparky’s dad had already called the DNR. They could see the fire from there house in Tampico.

Before we hit the bottom of the mountain, there was a deer standing next to the trail as we drove by.

This was a real fun run thanks to the people that came.

Here are some photos of 99’s Getting Out of the Heat Run at Ahtanum State Forest:

On November 17th, 2007 we headed out for an easy run for 99 so she could get use to wheeling her XJ. It was also Test Dummy’s birthday and he wanted to wheel too. On this run we had three rigs, BenW, Test Dummy and 99 driving the Tweety Jeep.

We headed up Cowiche Mill Road and then headed up C1300. At the Y to Hatton Road we aired down. The roads up there are rough but we waited for the rain to slow down to air down.

We headed on up Hatton Road and then onto FS1302. It got foggy. We only ran into a few areas that had a little snow. Up towards Jumpoff Lookout it was very cold. We had a little snow mixed in the rain. We stopped at Jumpoff Lookout for a break.

We headed back down FS1302, then C1210 down to Reynolds Creek and back to Cowiche Mill Road. We turned off Cowiche Mill Road, ran C1000 over to Nasty Creek, then ran up Doe Pocket (C5001) and onto Jackass Road (A2300) on Foundation Ridge. It was not very fat before we started running in snow. The snow drifts started getting deep at the log decks and Test Dummy had to air down more to move.

99 enjoyed making new tracks in the snow as we moved up the ridge. The snow drifts were deeper farther up we went and it was hard to see where the trail was. We stopped at Blue Slide Lookout.

It was getting dark so we headed down 4W615 toward Blue Lake. Coming off the top of the ridge down the mountain was a blast with 99 driving. The trail was no where in sight. She had no idea what way to go so I was yelling, “go left, sharper, turn right, easy left, watch out for that tree” and so on. I am glad she listens good.

At Blue Lake on the upper trail above the lake the trail was off camber because of the snow. 99 slide off the trail sideways. I took over but could not get the XJ back up on the trail. BenW went for it and went sideways too. I dropped down to the lake and followed the shore and Test Dummy Followed. BenW started airing down more. After airing down more, BenW made it look easy going crossing that bad snow section above the lake.

99 took the driving back over and we headed out. She had to take a few runs at the Gate Keeper Hill. She finely made it up without hitting anything.

This was 99’s first time driving snow wheeling and she did very well. This run was a lot longer and a lot more miles than planned but I think it was worth it. 99 has a lead foot so we moved a long pretty good all day. She is now ready for Baja racing.

Thanks BenW and Test Dummy for coming and making this a fun run. 99 and I had a blast.